We have taken a look back at the Quidditch players, ranking them from best to worst. Players get points for reliability, professionalism and results. And we’re not counting professional internationals in this list, because that seems somewhat unfair. Sorry, Krum.

Cormac McLaggen

Sure, he was a talented player, but that arrogance! How are you meant to be a Keeper if you keep trying to tell everyone else how to do their roles properly? How are you meant to be on a team if you can’t even listen to your captain? For these reasons, we’re glad that Cormac’s stint in Gryffindor’s team was so quick and painless (well, not for Harry).

It has to be said, we’re also very relieved that Hermione had the smarts to Confund him during the trials as well, even though that was technically cheating.

Marcus Flint (tied with Crabbe and Goyle)

Slytherin captain Marcus Flint really personified the Slytherin team’s personality: they weren’t afraid to play dirty to win a game.

Angelina was nearly thrown from her broom as Marcus Flint went smashing into her. ‘Sorry!’ said Flint, as the crowd below booed. ‘Sorry, didn’t see her!’
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Sure, you didn’t, Flint. As a flyer, he seemed adept enough (remember, Slytherin were reigning champions before Harry joined the Gryffindor team...) but didn’t seem to be the smartest captain in the world, opting for ‘size rather than skill’ when picking his team.

Take Crabbe and Goyle for instance... not so much Beaters as lumbering trolls on brooms.

Ron Weasley

Poor Ron couldn’t play Quidditch in front of a crowd to save his life, and that wasn’t helpful. As much as he tried to do a good job as Gryffindor’s Keeper, and we knew that he could be excellent – particularly after he thought he was given Felix Felicis and played like a champ – his struggle with confidence has let him down on this occasion. Sorry, Ron!

Draco Malfoy

Placing Draco higher than Ron?! This is perhaps unfair, seeing as Draco was gifted with a fancy broom by his dad and most likely bought his way on to the Slytherin Quidditch team in the first place. Suffice to say, though, Draco did hold his own against the Gryffindor Seeker during games, but seemed to only get into Quidditch to spite Harry rather than anything else.

Fred and George Weasley

Great Beaters, bad tempers. The pair couldn’t keep their cheeky antics from getting in the way of their performance on the pitch from time to time. One example of this was when Fred fouled the Slytherin captain, Marcus Flint, after he had fouled Angelina. Why lower Gryffindor to Slytherin’s dirty tactics?

Of course this all came to a head when they were banned at the same moment as Harry for attacking Draco, Crabbe and Goyle, and they never played Quidditch for Gryffindor again after leaving the school in a blaze of glory.

‘Sorry!’ said Flint, as the crowd below booed. ‘Sorry, didn’t see her!’

Next moment, Fred Weasley had chucked his Beater’s club at the back of Flint’s head. Flint’s nose smashed into the handle of his broom and began to bleed.

‘That will do!’ shrieked Madam Hooch, zooming between them. ‘Penalty to Gryffindor for an unprovoked attack on their Chaser! Penalty to Slytherin for deliberate damage to their Chaser!’
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Katie Bell and Alicia Spinnet (tied)

Katie Bell and Alicia Spinnet, the old reliables. These two proved that working together well is just as important as flying brilliantly solo. The two Chasers always played a strong game, always scored a few goals to keep under their belts, and quite happily put up with Oliver Wood and Angelina Johnson’s demanding antics. As far as we’re concerned, they were Quidditch saints.

Cho Chang

The Ravenclaw Seeker knocked Harry for six when she competed against him in Prisoner of Azkaban and seemed to be a very smart flier. In her first match against Harry, she used canny moves to get him to change direction on the pitch. No wonder Harry ended up fancying her off the pitch. If Cho had a better broom (she rode a Comet Two Sixty) and wasn’t so dogged by injury, maybe Ravenclaw would’ve faired a little higher in their matches.

Cedric Diggory

‘Yes, but you didn’t fall off, did you?’ roared Amos genially, slapping his son on his back. ‘Always modest, our Ced, always the gentleman … but the best man won, I’m sure Harry’d say the same, wouldn’t you, eh? One falls off his broom, one stays on, you don’t need to be a genius to tell which one’s the better flier!’
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Alright, so without taking Amos Diggory’s biased words too seriously, it is still fair to say Cedric seemed like a fantastic Quidditch player during his short-lived time at Hogwarts. The Hufflepuff captain did indeed beat Harry on the Quidditch pitch (albeit not intentionally) but seemed to show genuinely graceful sportsmanship, even offering a rematch after Harry fell off his broom due to an impromptu Dementor invasion.

Oliver Wood

Oliver was an excellent and dedicated Keeper, and always did well on the pitch. He was also a passionate captain, and was always coming up with new game plays and strategy that definitely helped lead the team to victory. But he was intense, and at times too intense. Remember when he was happy to risk Harry’s life if it just meant that he could fly his Firebolt broomstick? As much as we admired his spirit, there’s a line between wanting to win and being willing to hospitalise your team mates for a shot at the cup.

‘Bad news, Harry. I’ve just been to see Professor McGonagall about the Firebolt. She – er – got a bit shirty with me. Told me I’d got my priorities wrong. Seemed to think I cared more about winning the Cup than I do about you staying alive. Just because I told her I didn’t care if it threw you off, as long as you caught the Snitch on it first.’
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Charlie Weasley

Harry was compared to Charlie in terms of skill as a Seeker, and it was even suggested that the second eldest Weasley brother could have played the game on an internationally professional level if he hadn’t chosen to take care of dragons instead. Since we know Charlie won at least one championship for Gryffindor during his time at Hogwarts, he ranks more or less on the same level as Harry.

Harry Potter (and an honorary mention to James Potter)

As Ludo Bagman once said, ‘Great Scott, he can fly!’ And indeed, he really could. Harry only ever lost two matches during his time at Hogwarts – once when Dementors infiltrated the stadium, and once when Cormac hit him around the head with a Beater’s club, it was several extenuating circumstances that led to Harry not winning more trophies.

Harry was said to have inherited his Quidditch prowess from his dad, James, and was even known to fly around on a toy broomstick as a baby. Throughout the books, we see Harry adopt several impressive moves on his broom, which seems to come from a genuine, natural flair and passion for flying. His skinny stature also suited him to the Seeker position perfectly, and Harry was often described as nimble and speedy – not to mention the fact he had the best broom going, a Firebolt. In another life, one not dogged by Lord Voldemort, we wonder if Harry would’ve gone into the Quidditch profession like his future wife did.

Angelina Johnson

After being made captain in her final year, Angelina took it as seriously (and dramatically) as Oliver before her, and yet was very much aware when she took things a little too far – like screaming at Harry at breakfast for getting a detention. As such, we’re going to give her the runner-up place on the list, if not for her attitude towards the game, than for what we learned about her thanks to Lee Jordan’s commentary (although he does sound a little biased, we must admit).

‘And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor – what an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive, too –’
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

Ginny Weasley

Thank Merlin for Ginny. After Harry got banned from playing the game in book five, and when he was stuck serving detention with Snape in book six, Ginny stepped up and helped take Gryffindor to victory in not one but two Quidditch Cups, one more than Harry! Since she never missed a match when she was needed, always kept a cool head and was clearly talented (so talented she went on to play professionally with the Holyhead Harpies), it seems only fair to give her the top spot.